A Halloween Story
by acmabry
Summary: A group story by members of the Starsky & Hutch Fans and FanFiction Facebook group that I edited together. The guys are fighting an old enemy - but what is real and what is not?


It was dark when Starsky and Hutch left the precinct, the moon barely peeping through the clouds. Hutch looked at the sky and a shudder went through him. He didn't spook easily, but it was Halloween and the day had been long and strange. As the two hopped into Starsky's car, Hutch was looking forward to unwinding at Huggy's for a few beers and a game of pool.

As they entered the bar, both noticed right away it was empty. No Huggy, no Diane, no one. Then, Hutch noticed a large bowl sitting on a table in the middle of the restaurant. The bowl was decorated with ghost, ghouls, and goblins. It was then they remembered Huggy's Halloween bash – which explained everyone's absence.

"Wonder what's in the bowl?" Hutch asked walking over to it, while Starsky headed to the back of the bar.

"I dunno," Starsky answered, grabbing two beers from the cooler. "Looks like Huggy is gettin' ready for his Halloween party."

Hutch stopped short when he peered into the bowl, fearful at what he saw. Instead of a bowl of candy and treats, it appeared to be full of human brains and black widow spiders. Hurriedly, he backed away from the bowl, wanting to be sure both he and Starsky were not bitten. He grabbed Starsky's arm and pulled him into the back. All the while telling Starsky what he saw, the brunet's eyes getting bigger as the story progressed.

Suddenly, Hutch cried out, pain. "What Hutch!" Starsky asked. "Did you get bit by one of them spiders?" Starsky's eyes widening in fright as he looked to see if one of the black beasties was crawling on his partner.  
"No Starsky, I bumped into something…hard. What kinna stuff does Huggy have back here?" he asked looking around, trying to see in the dark corner.  
"I dunno Hutch, probably cleanin' stuff, ya know, mops, brooms, that kinna stuff." Starsky said trying to reassure his partner (and him) that there were no spiders around. Starsky was a tough cop, could fight the biggest and the baddest, but he and spiders just didn't mix.

Just then the back door to The Pits opened with a crash, causing the two detectives to jump and reach for their guns. In walked Huggy Bear wearing the brightest, orange outfit the guys had ever seen. He was carrying a tray of food, trying to balance that and opening the door at the same time, so as not to drop the treats on the floor. Seeing the two detectives, Huggy was startled himself, wondering what they were doing back here.

"Huggy!" Hutch said letting out his breath. "You look like a walking pumpkin!"

"Here" Starsky said, offering to help Huggy with the food tray. "Excuse the blond blitz Huggy, he's suffering a little from being spooked by broom and mop goblins."

"Man, what are you two guys doing here?" Huggy asked handing the tray to Starsky. "You both scared me! And, Starsky, keep your hands off that food! It's for the Halloween party later." Huggy said as he popped Starsky's hand, which was wondering toward the brownies. Taking the tray back from the pouting detective, Huggy headed to the bar.

"Ahh, Huggy, you can't go to the bar, you need to stay back here." Hutch said stopping Huggy in his tracks.

"Hutch, what you talking about man?" Huggy asked, keeping a wary eye on the lurking potential brownie thief. "I got a party to get ready for."

"Well, there are real spiders in a bowl full of brains on your table out there. We need to figure out about the brains and get rid of the spiders." Starsky said pointing to the table in the middle of the room.

"That's it, you two cats are for sure crazy, and I'm calling Cabrillo, see if they have a room for ya." Huggy said shaking his head and heading to the bar. "That's a bowl full of jello with stuff mixed in it to look like brains or something squishy, for the party later tonight!"

"Well," Starsky asked looking kind of sheepish, "what about them spiders?"

Throwing his hands up, Huggy said "I dunno man! Maybe Diane put them in there to spook it up a little."

Just then, the phone rang and Huggy went to answer it. Starsky and Hutch looked at each sharing a giggle between, thinking that the jello was brains! What a laugh.

"Guys," Huggy said all seriously, "that was Dobey. Meet him down at 8th, in the warehouse district. Dead body and from what Dobey said, it's pretty gruesome."

"OK – thanks Hug", they said together heading out the door.

"Be careful," he called after, only then noticing a brownie missing from the tray. Shaking his head, he walked over to the table to check on his Jello concoction. Looking in the bowl, Huggy froze and stepped away carefully.

Inside the bowl, was not what he had prepared earlier, but a blob of something grayish and white? And, perched on top of the matter, was a black widow spider.

On their way to the warehouse, Starsky said "Aren't we a bunch of dummies Hutch. Thinkin' that jello was brains!"

Hutch shook his head and laughed along with Starsky. "But, those spiders really looked real. Don't know where Huggy got them from, but they are believable."

Pulling into the warehouse parking lot, all thoughts of jello brains and fake spiders went away. They saw Dobey standing over a body in the back corner of the warehouse. And, it was a gruesome sight. The victims head had been cut open and his brain was missing. As they examined more, the two found that the victim's heart was also gone.

Hutch looked at Starsky – and the two wondered without speaking if what they saw at Huggy's really was Jello.

Starsky suddenly was violently ill and ran out of the building, searching for a place to be sick. He had been a cop for many years, but had never seen anything so horrific.

Hutch caught up to Starsky and bent down to rub his back, hoping it would sooth his friend. "You OK Starsky?" he asked gently.

Taking a deep breath Starsky answered raggedly, "Yeah Hutch, I'll be OK, just need another second."

Finally, Starsky leaned back against the warehouse wall, a little color coming back to his face.

"Hutch," he said quietly, "this is the sickest thing I have ever come across. Who would do a thing like this? Why would someone do a thing like this? And, how can you be so calm after seeing all this?"

"It sickens me too Starsk," Hutch answered, still rubbing his partner's back, hoping to calm him. "What say we get out of here and catch the monster who did this? The way the heart and brain were removed, this looks like a professional job."

Helping Starsky stand and making sure he was steady, they both headed back to the Torino. Hutch left Starsky in his car for a minute and went back to let Dobey know what they had seen at Huggy's. It was agreed they the two needed to return and take another look the bowl's contents. Dobey said he would get them an id of the victim and any other information as soon as he had it.

Arriving back at The Pits, Huggy rushed up to Starsky and Hutch. "Y,Y,You were r, right, that is a real brain and real spider!"

"We know Huggy, that dead body is missing his brain as well as his heart." Starsky said. "We have the crime lab coming here after they are finished at the warehouse. You need to stay closed Huggy. This is part of a crime scene now. Don't touch anything." Huggy nodded and went to tell his employees.

"So," said Hutch, "What the hell is going on now?

Just then, Hutch became extremely scared, his forehead covered in a sheen of sweat from his fear. Trying to keep from stuttering, he said, "Guys, we are in real trouble here! I am seeing more and more spiders, crawling all over the place!"

Like Starsky, Hutch was a really tough cop, but these creepy poisonous spiders he didn't like even a teensy, tiny bit. From his days in the Sea Scouts, he remembered studying all different kinds of spiders, their different kinds of venoms and how deadly some spiders really are. Some more deadly than even a prairie rattlesnake. A fact he learned the summer he spent with his cousins Laura and Mary, who lived on the prairie.

Hutch realized the spiders were starting to crawl on him, Starsky, and Huggy. And then, the phone rang, its shrill sound scaring the spiders away from the guys, sending them crawling back off toward the bowl.

Seeing a chance to escape, Starsky ordered everyone out of the bar right away. The lab team would be here soon to check the place out, they could deal with the creepy crawlies.

Once outside, a black limo pulled up and parked beside the three. Out came a lady dressed in a black widow spider costume. She hurried to Starsky and Hutch, handing them each an envelope. She told them another lady had instructed her to deliver these messages to each of them. Then she turned, got back in the limo and was gone into the dark night.

The two opened the envelopes, which had the very same message that read:

 _At exactly midnight you two must be inside Hutchinson's Venice Place apartment. You must be inside it not one minute before the witching hour strikes! On Hutchinson's closed toilet seat you will find a lot of blood smeared all over it. You must paint each other's faces with this blood because if you don't I swear someone else will have their brains and heart cut out of them! After you are through painting each other's faces, Hutchinson is to lift up the toilet lid. Inside the bowl you will find another heart. A still beating one that comes from the chest cavity belonging to Ken Hutchinson!_

It's midnight – the witching hour. And, per the instructions of the note, the guys are in Hutch's bathroom. They begin painting each other's faces with the blood that covers the toilet, the smell making them both sick and nauseous.

"Starsky!" Hutch says with a frustrating sigh. "Be still, I'm almost finished."

"Hutch, it just smells so bad!" Starsky said, trying not to be sick. "Ya know Hutch, this just seems all too weird. It reminds me of when we were on Voodoo Island…and Papa Theodore," Starsk said quietly, thinking of how he almost killed Hutch when he was under a spell.

"I was thinking about that, too Starsk." Hutch said as he finished the gruesome task. "It does all seem a bit familiar. I don't like this voodoo anymore then you do. We need to stay close together and watch each other's backs."

"Oh God! I just sniffed some of the blood up my nose! I think I am going to vomit!" Hutch hurriedly lifted up the lid to the toilet and there in the toilet water was a still beating heart. In terror, Hutch realized that, somehow, that heart had come from his chest, but yet, there was still a beating heart inside of him.

Suddenly, the witch doctor from Voodoo Island appeared in front of the two, as did an older woman dressed up as a black widow spider. The witch doctor and the Spider lady blew a white powder into both their faces. Starsky and Hutch both staggered from the bathroom, trying to stay away. But, the powder was too strong. The last words they heard before passing out was a wicked voice saying: "The dark will now kill the light!"

Hutch opened his eyes slowly, not knowing where he was. Looking around, he saw Starsky laying on the other side of the room not moving with blood still on his face. Hutch tries to move, to get to Starsky, but his body will not cooperate. Hutch, seeing light coming in through the window, wonders what time it is. This craziness started at midnight. What time is it now? Where are they? He doesn't know the answers and he worries.

Suddenly, there is a loud, sinister noise and it scares Hutch. He looks over to Starsky and sees the creepy Witch with her hand on his chest.

"Starsky, wake up!" Hutch calls out to his partner. "Come on buddy, wake up! Wake up now!

Hutch tries to get to Starsky, to save him from whatever evil that witch has planned. But, he is moving in slow motion, no strength or speed to rescue his friend. Then Starsky wakes up and tries to knock the witch away from him. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Hutch struggling to reach him.

Then, Poppa Theodore appears again in a puff of smoke with his evil laugh. By now, Hutch has reached Starsky, who is shaking with fear at seeing the mad witch doctor.

"Hutch, not again, please not again!" Starsky cried. "I don't want to be under another of his spells, don't want to hurt you again!"

"Don't worry buddy," Hutch reassured him. "I won't let him or that witch touch you."

Starsky breathed a sigh of relief, relaxing in Hutch's arms.

Suddenly, Poppa Theodore waived his hand and spoke words to the witch, making her disappear. Looking at the two detectives, he said ominously "Be forewarned, one will die tonight!" and he was gone in another puff of smoke.

Hutch looked down at Starsky who seemed to be resting for a moment. He thought of the witch that Poppa Theodore had just banished. She didn't fit his idea of witches, not with looking like a spider. Hutch wondered if she had been the one who planted the spiders at The Pits.

Suddenly, Starsky screamed a blood curdling scream, attacking Hutch, trying to choke him to death. Hutch fought Starsky, not wanting to hurt him, knowing that somehow he was under a spell from Poppa Theodore. In desperation, Hutch hit Starsky hard enough to knock him unconscious.

Then, Hutch found himself having trouble breathing. Looking up, he saw that Poppa Theodore had returned, with a knife! Hutch let loose a bloodcurdling scream as the witch doctor stabbed him in the heart. He tried to crawl toward Starsky who was stirring back into consciousness.

Poppa Theodore let on an evil laugh saying, "It is no good my dark one, you cannot do anything to protect your friend from me cutting his heart out. Tonight, he is mine!" and Poppa Theodore raised his hand for the final deathblow.

Starsky saw Hutch trying to crawl to him and he staggered to his feet. Suddenly a witch appeared, one with a good heart and soul. Starsky stared at the as she waved her wand at Papa Theodore, and moved to stand between him and Hutch.

He paused for only a second, her power only able to weaken him slightly. It was then that Starsky rushed Papa Theodore grasping for the knife in his hand, the two struggled. All the while Papa Theodore continued his sick laughter. Starsky was weakening and Papa Theodore moved the knife down and closer to Starsky and plunged it into his shoulder

Papa Theodore laughed, pulling the knife from Starsky's shoulder. Grabbing Starsky by the shirt, he hissed, "You will wait, Hutchinson is first!" Dropping Starsky on the floor, he turned to where Hutch now lay deathly still.

The Good Witch, gathering all her strength, waved her wand again, causing Poppa Theodore to stumble a bit more. He just glared at the witch, but then started laughing again. Starsky, realizing that Hutch would die if he didn't make a move, forced himself to his feet. With all the strength he had, Starsky ran toward Poppa Theodore, ramming him from the back and knocking him to the floor. Once he had the evil man down, Starsky started to pound his head on the floor.

The good witch immediately went to Hutch, working to heal the wounds inflicted by Poppa Theodore. She knew that, if the witch doctor had succeeded in cutting out the blond detective's heart, she could have replaced it with the heart still beating in Hutch's bathroom. The heart which had belonged to someone else. She remembered the threat of the detective brains being taken too, and knew that she would have been able to fix that, also. Luckily, because of the power of her magic and the power of the dark one's friendship, the blond one would survive.

As the witch continued to work on Hutch, Starsky came and crouched on the floor beside them.

"Please, save my friend!" he asked with fear in his voice. "Hutch is my best friend and I don't want to lose him!"

Then, suddenly, from out of nowhere, a Zombie appeared. The good witch knows he is looking for brains or any other part of a human he can eat. She sighs in frustration, knowing this zombie, named Bob, can be a worrisome sort of monster.

"Witch!" he hissed. "Where are those brains, I want them for myself!"

Starsky, not believing what he is seeing thinks, "Great, first voodoo witches, now a zombie? What the hell could be next?!"

Suddenly, Zombie Bob sees Starsky and moves to attack him. The Good Witch swings her wand toward Zombie Bob with all the force of her magic. An eerie green glow stretches from the wand touching Zombie Bob, stopping the monster in his tracks and melting him away. All except is hand, which starts to finger walk toward Hutch.

Hutch regains consciousness in time to see Zombie Bob go down and, in fear, looks at the hand coming toward him. Angry and tired of all this craziness, he yells points his finger to the hand and yells. "Back off, you can't have any of me! Or any of my partner!"

The hand stops suddenly, feeling the anger coming from the detective flowing through that pointing finger. The witch walks over and promptly steps on the zombie hand, the bones crunching beneath her black shoe. Looking at the two detectives, making sure they are ok…for now…she disappears into thin air.

Suddenly, not even giving the two time to react, the walls began to bleed. Thick, red, smelly blood pouring and oozing down the walls.

Then, with a poof of smoke, the Spider Witch has returned.

"Hutch!" Starsky yells. "She's back, do you see her!"

"Yeah Starsky, I got eyes, I see her!" Hutch yelled back, trying to hold down the panic.

"Well, what are we gonna do!" Starsky screamed in panic. The Spider Witch turning towards them.

"What I wouldn't give for a can of Miss Muffat's Revenge!" Hutch yelled, not sure why he was joking at a time like this. Maybe to alleviate Starsky's fear?

"Hey!" Starsky said with a tinge of hope in his voice. "What you said, Hutch, that gives me an idea!"

Looking quickly around the room, Starsky spots an old can of hair spray. Picking it up he realizes, to his delight, that the can is still full. Looking further around in the room, he found a cigarette lighter. With glee, he approaches the Spider Witch, knowing that this plan just might work.

Walking close to the Spider Witch he says, "You're about to have a bad hair day schweetheart!"

Hutch watched closely, guessing what his partner was about to do, ready to pounce if needed.

Aiming the can toward the monster, Starsky sprayed and lit the lighter in the stream of the spray. A whoosh of fire came blazing forth, straight for the Spider Witch. It cowered and hissed, flailing its giant hairy legs in a futile counter-attack.

"You ain't got a chance Spidey!" Starsky taunted. "Not with this good ole can of Spray N Stay!" and he let loose again with the spray and fire mixture.

The only problem with this plan is that the room itself caught fire. Starsky saw that Hutch was closest to the door.

"Hutch!" Starsky called. "Run, get out while you can!"

"No, Starsk not without you. The spider is backing off we can both escape this nightmare before the house crumbles. I am not leaving you alone!"

Hutch looked nervously up at the shaking rafters, bits of the house showering down on him. Suddenly a piece of rafter fell and caught alight. Hutch was trapped. Stricken with fear for his partner, Starsky continued holding the spider at bay as he reversed back to Hutch to rescue him from the inferno that was building.

"Save yourself, Starsky! I'm a goner!" Hutch called out. But undeterred, Starsky pressed on, determined to save his partner and get them both the hell out of there. The Spider Witch burning behind them.

Heading to Hutch, Starsky trips and falls, knocking himself out.

Hutch saw it all happen and could not reach him, the fire threatening to consume them both. Hutch yelled to Starsky, but the brunette lay still, unable to hear his partner and friend.

Suddenly, the door is kicked in. Dobey and Huggy rush in and grab the two detectives. They run helter-skelter out of the house, pulling Starsky and Hutch out of the burning building. Reaching a safe distance, the two fall to their knees, dropping their unconscious burdens to the ground. Dobey and Huggy's faces were streaming with tears from smoke filled eyes as the building burned to the ground.

The two on the ground began to wake up, moaning in pain and fear. Dobey and Huggy were there, assuring the two that they were safe and nothing would hurt them. They all sat on the ground, recovering from the ordeal, sounds of fire engines in the background. They watched in disbelief as wisps of smoke curled up in the sky to form the shape of the witch they'd fought off. "Oh God," Starsky barely whispered. The shape then miraculously morphed into Papa Theodore, with his malevolent chant echoing around their ears, "Now you belong to me-eee!"

"Huuuutccchhhh!" cried Starsky as he clung to his partner. "Did you see that? Did you hear what Poppa Theodore said? Huutch? Huuutch? Huuuuuutch?

"STARSKY…WAKE UP!" Hutch shouted to his partner, grabbing hold of Starsky, trying to hold him still. The nightmare that had its grips on Starsky would not let go, leaving the brunet shaking from fear and horror.

Slowly, the grip of fear was released as Starsky heard Hutch's soothing voice and found his way back to reality. Opening his eyes, he saw Hutch staring at him, his face full of concern and worry.

"Hey," Hutch said gently, not wanting to spook Starsky more. "Wake up Starsk, you were having a nightmare buddy, that's all. I'm here, you're here, we are both ok. Want to tell me about it?"  
He asked Starsky, trying to pull him more into reality.

"Oh God Hutch!" Starsky said, grabbing Hutch's arms, needing that anchor for his reality. "There were giant spiders... Voodoo... Witches... Zombies... Papa Theodore! Someone tried to cut out your heart and brains, but a good witch stopped that. Then a Spider witch came and I burned it, and the building was on fire, and Dobey and Huggy pulled us out, and I saw Poppa Theodore in the smoke and heard his voice! Oh my God Hutch…it was so real!" Starsky said, his voice rising, the fear coming back.

"Starsky, it was just a dream, a really bad dream, but it's all over now." Hutch said gently. "Why don't you go take a quick shower? I know it's late, but let's go down to Huggy's and relax, a game of pool and a beer will drive those nightmare blues away,"

"OK, I like that idea." Starsky said smiling and finally relaxing. He was grateful to Hutch, grateful that his friend was there for him, to help him get over this nightmare. "I'll be ready in few."

Thirty minutes later, the two walked out onto the darkened street, climbing into Hutch's car. Starsky was still shook up from the nightmare and just didn't feel like driving. They joked about the car and about how bad they were going to beat the other in a game of pool. Laughing and carrying on, they drove off into the night.

But, neither saw the lone figure standing in the shadows across the street. Neither saw him as he intently watched them get into the car. Neither saw his wicked smile or heard his wicked laugh.

"Until we meet again Starsky and Hutch, until we meet again…"

And, neither saw him turn and walk off, disappearing into the darkness.


End file.
